Keeping time with a passion project
Kokomo Watch Co. gaining notoriety for its micro-brand timepieces
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At Palmer Jewelers in downtown Kokomo, two men sit in a small workshop in the back of the store, repairing watches and working at their dream of making their own bespoke brand of timepiece from recycled, vintage watch movements.
Adam Parrish and Jason Samm are watch repairmen at the Kokomo Watch Company (KWC). They repair and build watches for Palmer Jewelers on site. In an age of digital smart-watches that do everything from check blood pressure to message loved ones, these two are still laboring to repair tiny, intricately assembled timepieces. And business is booming.
They are so busy they barely have time to talk, even to each other. And yet three YouTube channels have featured the story of KWC, making Parrish and Samm sensations in the world of watch aficionados.
Even though they repair local clients’ watches, the majority of their business is through the mail.
“We have been a Swiss Army service center for about 25 years.” says Parrish. “We do a lot of work that other jewelry stores won’t do, and can’t do.”
In the last year, KWC has added to its repair duties by working with Adam Fledderman of Fledderman Von-Rieste Watch Company from Greenwood, Ind., to assemble a watch made in Indiana.
“He had this idea that he wanted to start a micro-brand watch company … which is kind of the direction we wanted to go in,” said Parrish.
The results from the Fledderman Von-Rieste collaboration have led to not only assembling watches for the Greenwood firm, but to the creation of their own Kokomo Watch Company timepieces.
Samm noted that, “With Von-Reiste we do more of the assembly production line. With Kokomo Watch Company, every single part is being touched by a watchmaker. They are all hand-finished.”
To create a KWC timepiece, the two take vintage watches, mostly from the 1960’s and 70’s, and do what Parrish calls a “resto-mod.”
“It’s like taking an old Camaro, keep the old exterior, but everything else is modernized,” said Parrish.
Tracing their exposure on the YouTube channels of “Random Rob,” the “Anonymous Watch Guy,” and Travis from “Trap Vision 3d,” the pair pointed to Palmer’s June event called “Whiskey, Wheels and Watches.” The social media buzz from that led to the YouTubers coming to Kokomo to check them out.
“It’s a new avenue for us. We try to just keep our heads down and repair watches,” said Parrish of their new notoriety.
Repair at Palmer’s is still the Kokomo Watch Company’s bread and butter, but as they work to keep up with repair duties, and parts come in for assembly of the Fledderman Von-Rieste watches, they slowly are starting to put together their custom-made KWC branded product.
“We are trying to get more micro-brands in the store,” said Parrish. “Some of these are art pieces; proof of what is possible.”
Samm admits, “The Fledderman watches helped us get our foot in the door. The true passion project is Kokomo Watch Company watches.”
For more information about the Kokomo Watch Company go to www.kokomowatchcompany.com
To see the YouTube videos about KWC go to these links:
Anonymous Watch guy YouTube Kokomo Watch Company Video
TrapVision3d
Random Rob